US Drone Bombs ISIS Target in Syria after Taking Off from Turkey

A US armed drone bombed a target in Islamic State-controlled northern Syria on Wednesday, in the first such air strike by a US aircraft after taking off from Turkish territory, a Turkish official told AFP.

"A US drone today carried out one air strike in Syria near Raqqah," said the official, referring to the town in northern Syria the ISIS group sees as its capital.

The drone had taken off from Turkey's Incirlik air base in the south of the country which Ankara has now opened to the US military for armed attacks on ISIS targets in Syria, the source added.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu earlier announced that Turkey was ready to begin a "comprehensive" fight against ISIS jihadists in Syria alongside the United States, after months of staying on the sidelines of the US-led coalition.

Last month Ankara said it would allow US warplanes to launch attacks from the Incirlik airbase in southern Turkey, which is just 200 kilometers (125 miles) from ISIS positions in northern Syria.

The Pentagon announced this week that US armed drones had taken off from Incirlik to conduct missions over northern Syria but this was the first time an air strike had been carried out.

Turkey, a member of the international coalition led by its NATO ally Washington, had so far declined to take robust action against jihadists but after a deadly bombing in July in a border town blamed on suspected ISIS jihadists, it launched limited strikes against the group in Syria.

Turkish officials have suggested Ankara will step up its strikes against ISIS once US operations from Incirlik are in full swing.

According to media reports, some 30 US fighter jets are due to arrive at the facility in the next days in order to take part in the operation.